Maybe you have a writing assignment given to you by someone else–an interview with a local school board member, a review of the new Arcade Fire single, or a recap of a trip you took to Belize for the local Sunday paper. Or maybe you simply have a specific project in mind already that you’re itching to work on. If you know what your writing goals are, that’s great.
For others, though, that very question is a struggle. What to write about? Could be anything. Which is both good and bad–sometimes the door is too wide open, and we face a seemingly infinite number of choices. That can be daunting.
If that’s the case, have you tried making a list?
You can start with a list of topics that interest you–or, even better, topics that you have, in the past, been excited to write about. Maybe you’re a fan of opera, or keen on wooden boat building. Those are topics that could inspire all sorts of stories. If you’re aiming to write a short story, you could manufacture a character who sings and tours professionally, but who every night dreams of being back on the coast of Maine building boats using traditional means and materials.
If instead you are hoping to land an article in a local newspaper or magazine, or on a local website, you might consider focusing on a central character. Is there someone in your community whom you look up to? Who inspired you personally–or continues to inspire others? Profiles of people in your own home town are great places to begin if you’re aiming toward journalism and want to get that first piece published.
A list of topics will help you, too. Though to be honest, it’s also useful to remember why writing is important to you in the first place. So before you focus entirely on random topics that pop into your head, you might first take some time to go over any “life goals” you have. Writing down some of your biggest goals–skills you’d like to learn, for instance, or topics you’d love to become expert on, either in the short or long term–will serve to clarify why you’re actually working so hard on improving your writing in the first place.
Chris Guillebeau of The Art of Non-Conformity posted about “life goals” recently, and it’s a worthwhile read. “A good life list is an anchor,” he writes. “It grounds you in your purpose, gives you hopes and dreams for the future, and helps you understand more about yourself.”
So maybe journalism is one of your ultimate writing goals–more specifically, getting published in the New York Times. That goes on the list. Or on the other hand, perhaps you’re working on a novel or set of short stories. All good. Now take another few steps back and ask yourself why you want to write and publish a novel–or get that assignment from the Times. What will that mean to you? And where, after that, might that accomplishment take you? That’s where “writing goals” morph into “life goals.”
In his post, Chris also reminded me of the website 43things, which is all about making lists and creating goals for yourself–and sharing those goals with a community. Writing them down, and then making them public, can help make those goals real…and help hold you to them.
Have you made a list of life goals or writing goals yet?